English

Proliferation of observables and measurement in quantum-classical hybrids

Quantum Physics 2013-03-06 v1 Chemical Physics Classical Physics

Abstract

Following a review of quantum-classical hybrid dynamics, we discuss the ensuing proliferation of observables and relate it to measurements of (would-be) quantum mechanical degrees of freedom performed by (would-be) classical ones (if they were separable). -- Hybrids consist in coupled classical ("CL") and quantum mechanical ("QM") objects. Numerous consistency requirements for their description have been discussed and are fulfilled here. We summarize a representation of quantum mechanics in terms of classical analytical mechanics which is naturally extended to QM-CL hybrids. This framework allows for superposition, separable, and entangled states originating in the QM sector, admits experimenter's "Free Will", and is local and non-signalling. -- Presently, we study the set of hybrid observables, which is larger than the Cartesian product of QM and CL observables of its components; yet it is smaller than a corresponding product of all-classical observables. Thus, quantumness and classicality infect each other.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1212.2380,
  title  = {Proliferation of observables and measurement in quantum-classical hybrids},
  author = {Hans-Thomas Elze},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1212.2380},
  year   = {2013}
}

Comments

13 pages; to appear in International Journal of Quantum Information